December 16, 2009

94 comments:

What is this soft rock music? I listen to some pop music that is soft, I listen to some jazz that is slower and more melodic, I listen to some acoustic music that is slower and more contemplative, I even listen to some ambient type music.

But I do not see how rock can be soft. Some rock bands, like the Rolling Stones, do softer tunes like Angie. But this is amplified folk music.

There is no such animal as soft rock. It is an oxymoron, like Sullivanian insight or Hitchensian tolerance.

The article doesn't give a really good explanation of exactly how this all works. I gather, for instance, that this people meter also measures whatever music station one might overhear at say, the mall, or a restaurant. That in itself would increase the soft rock percentage, since Adult Contemporary, being as inoffensive as it is, is what gets played in most public venues.

But in that case, they're not really measuring public choice, but public encounters with stations.

Some Spanish-language stations’ ratings declined sharply — at Univision’s KLVE in Los Angeles, for example, ratings fell 54 percent in the first quarter of 2009 from the same period the year before, leading it and other broadcasters to testify before Congress on Dec. 2 that the new system is discriminatory.

Inescapable proof that no matter what ethnic group you belong to when you arrive in America, that eventually the English-speaking culture will swallow you.

I have grown up my whole life in the US hearing that in 50 years, America will be majority Hispanic and we'll all be speaking Spanish (not to mention, our next Presidents will be Hispanic-Americans).

The same immigrant hysteria of "taking over" the culture happens every century in this country. When waves of Irish, Italian (Catholics) and Jewish immigrants flooded Ellis Island, the newspapers trumpeted the same thing, and Anglo society mourned the imminent loss of their culture to these "furreners". 100 years later, we've had two (southern) Irish Presidents, only one of whom was Catholic, NO ITALIANS, and NO JEWISH presidents.

I can see what Clear Channel reports in Miami. Sure, there are x-number of Spanish-speaking radio stations, and people from all ages listen to it. But the newer generation, not in the car with their grandparents or at home, tune into the English-channel radio stations EXCLUSIVELY. They speak English overwhelming of the time alone together with other young Hispanics (peppered with Spanish words, which take the form of slang words).

Is this discrimination? No. It's immigrant tastes blending into the fabric of America.

“There’s no good radio,” said Jason Pontius, 39, a technology executive in Oakland, Calif. “Soft rock radio is like, ‘Am I really listening to this?’ But it’s the best thing that’s on.”

Most men wouldn't listen to soft rock stations, if the music on the non-soft rock stations were better. If the 'mainstream' station is playing Pink, a 10-year old Bryan Adams song suddenly becomes better than the alternative.

I happily admit it, sort of. When I was an undergrad at UW-Madison 1980-85 my main station was Magic 98. This was in the days of Spandau Ballet, Simply Red, Anita Baker, and Sade. I think they called it 'Adult Contemporary' back then (maybe they still do). That was a great time for 'soft rock' because most of those bands harked back to more classic melodies and rhythms, less of the pop-y stuff. Great times.

One of the stations in Madison (94.9) plays all Xmas music, and we were listening to it and it was someone who sounded vaguely like Streisand -- but much worse -- and I asked the daughter and she said it was Celine. Ugh.

If the son's in the car, I listen to hip-hop (93.1).

All I can say is that politician grannies with their high ideals have no idea how the majority feels.

Inescapable proof that no matter what ethnic group you belong to when you arrive in America, that eventually the English-speaking culture will swallow you.

On the topic of Hispanic assimilation, I'd lke that your immigrant community in Miami is different than say LA.

I see a couple of countervailing drivers. Clearly, TV and radio pentrate deep into the immigrant community encouraging assimilation. On the other hand, in previous waves of immigration, the government, Elites, media, and schools were clearly supportive of assimilation.

Today, those four groups actively discourage assimilation and try to defend other transplanted cultures from American values and culture.

Today, those four groups actively discourage assimilation and try to defend other transplanted cultures from American values and culture.

I KNEW someone would mention that Cuban-Americans are different from Mexican-Americans, Drill Sgt. I agree, in a sense. The source of immigration for both is very different -- one a prison island that upchucked the great majority of its immigrants 40 years ago; the other, a soggy run or jump over rivers and fences. It stands to reason that Mexican-Americans continue to repopulate themselves with new blood from arrivals in a way that isn't possible with Cubans -- their culture, therefore, has a strong Spanish-language reinfusion every day.

But you know, the same was said of Cubans here in the 60s and 70s. If you had told Anglo-Americans that Cuban kids one day would speak English exclusively at home to their parents, they would've laughed at you. Yet, I see all around me and my CA friends comment on it all the time. By the 4th generation, they're American, full stop.

Univision (the Mexican-owned Spanish language station which Cubans do not prefer -- they like Telemundo) has a stake in the business of Spanish-language immigration. That's why Jorge Ramos, the grey-haired foxy anchor, testified before Congress that immigration laws are too strict. Now they're testifying that the new system in gaging radio listening is discriminatory.

Maybe it is, but they're also petrified to admit that their base is shrinking if not propped up with laws.

Salamandyr, the article dedicated one sentence to that problem, but not in a way that might catch your attention. It obliquely admitted that malls and other public setting could influence the results. I did a little research on the PPM and found that it relies on an audio code masked into the broadcast signal that is picked up by the device to determine what music you're listening to. So, if you spend much time in restaurants and malls or other public places that don't supply their own playlist, you could see skewed results. It's not apparent how significant this effect is.

wv: masks. A broadcaster masks an audio signal for the PPM to detect. Not making it up.

You want to know soft rock/smooth jazz/easy listening hell? Go to Manila or Cebu City in the Philippines and just turn the radio to any station. O.M.G...

Oh, wow, Tibore. My mother and I just experienced this phenomenon without leaving the US yesterday. We were at an Uruguayan eatery here, and the music they had on could be classified as "Disco does Montevideo 1979".

Now maybe the owner liked it, or the servers, but it goes to my point (and perhaps yours) that some countries are "stuck" 30 years behind in musical tastes.

This explains why Ray Coniff's band still sells out ampitheatres all over South America.

Inescapable proof that no matter what ethnic group you belong to when you arrive in America, that eventually the English-speaking culture will swallow you.

I have grown up my whole life in the US hearing that in 50 years, America will be majority Hispanic and we'll all be speaking Spanish (not to mention, our next Presidents will be Hispanic-Americans).

The same immigrant hysteria of "taking over" the culture happens every century in this country. When waves of Irish, Italian (Catholics) and Jewish immigrants flooded Ellis Island, the newspapers trumpeted the same thing, and Anglo society mourned the imminent loss of their culture to these "furreners". 100 years later, we've had two (southern) Irish Presidents, only one of whom was Catholic, NO ITALIANS, and NO JEWISH presidents.

Keep in mind also, about 2 million people - probably more - have gone back to Mexico, and some think they'll stay there since home ownership isn't what it used to be (thank you, Demos).

As for myself, XM is always the Fifties or Sixties with a dash of Folk and movie soundtracks. If I need traffic reports in the morning, though, I'll get one of the, yes, "'classic' (if you will) soft rock" stations, only because it's on the dot.

Scott, don't think I think this is some scary evil new technology that tracks my behavior. My concern (or rather, the advertisers) is that the data are accurate. The article does not indicate that the tech adjusts for accidental encounters with music. People are constantly exposed to music that does not fit their preferences and that they may very likely be ignoring or not enjoying. That information would be useful to an advertiser interested in the quality of their target audience. It's fine to direct advertisement at a captive audience, but an audience that willingly tunes in is likely to be more receptive to targeted advertising.

There was a time when I was in a hurry as you areI was like youThere was a day when I just had to tell my point of viewI was like youNow I don't mean to make you frownNo, I just want you to slow down

Have you never been mellow?Have you never tried to find a comfort from inside you?Have you never been happy just to hear your song?Have you never let someone else be strong?

Running around as you do with your head up in the cloudsI was like youNever had time to lay back, kick your shoes off, close your eyesI was like youNow you're not hard to understandYou need someone to hold your hand

Have you never been mellow?Have you never tried to find a comfort from inside you?Have you never been happy just to hear your song?Have you never let someone else be strong?

vbspurs, it's really not that difficult. They just have a very large database of identifying beats, rhythms, and sequences they've generated from many songs. The apps then listen long enough to pull enough features from a song for a unique match.

The real question is whether you can hum a tune well enough for Midomi to recognize the song.

You know, I'm suddenly reminded that Earl Woods once said that with his very first big money after turning pro, his son installed a HUGELY expensive sound system in his Buick, (paraphrasing) "because the standard speakers muddy the bass in his favourite hip hop songs".

I listen to Celine Dion every day - that is, I hear "Heart Will Go On" at work every day whether I want to or not. (I don't want to.)When I notice what it is, I like to turn to a co-worker and say: "It's my understanding that the heart tends to stop beating at the moment of death."

Victoria, I'm wondering when we will begin to hear stories of latin Americans flocking south instead, to tap into the newfound prosperity in Brazil?

Chicken, it's already started! About 4 years ago, I noticed the various the Brazilian marts (ethnic grocery stores) which had sprung up in many places in Miami, were starting to close. Back then, the economy was booming and there were HUNDREDS of thousands of Brazilians here, so it wasn't that.

Lula is considered a great president, and they're even comtemplating allowing him to stay an extra term.

It's sad how little music radio matters anymore. I don't even care how bad the stations are in LA. I've got an iPod full of great stuff, and just lately I figured out how to get Pandora on my Blackberry. I have a Mozart station, a Kinks station, a Miles Davis Quintet station, a Villa-Lobos station, etc., and when I'm listening to it people will think I'm on a conference call.

BTW, that's my normal wax so I don't think of it as anything special anymore, certainly not worthy of a moniker

I always rated the..ah..covering if you will, according to totalitarian dictators. There is the Stalin, which as you might guess is big and bushy. Then you have the Hitler which is short and neatly trimmed. I, however, have always been partial to the Mussolini.

Reminds me of something I saw years ago on VH-1 about the Bee Gees. They interviewed Alice Cooper, who said something like "I wanted to hate them, but they were great songwriters." He then described having them on when he was alone in the car, then turning it down right before he got to wherever he was going.

Reminds me of something I saw years ago on VH-1 about the Bee Gees. They interviewed Alice Cooper, who said something like "I wanted to hate them, but they were great songwriters."

Good for Alice Cooper. He's right. The Bee Gees aren't "soft rock." They are genre-hopping geniuses. About the only disco songs that are still worth listening to are theirs. But their twee early stuff is brilliant too.

Music, for me, is a single dot in a pointillist painting of God. Some singers or composers manage an entire brushstroke.

Some songs, frequently sappy ones, make me fall in love with them, so that I have to listen to it over and over again until I learn all the words like when I was 12, even though I am almost 50. And then I have to hide it away, lest it breed contempt.

There are however a few styles I cannot abide, including Mexican songs that sound like Polish polkas, Mariah Carey, and high school bands. Surely even God winces.

Once I listened to a station near Appleton WI for 20 minutes, thinking it was an industrial ambient tune on a cool college radio station. Turns out it was just static. Kept listening even though I had figured it out.